'The Walking Dead' Season 8 is good, but needs to get even better

CLEVELAND, Ohio - We're two episodes away from "The Walking Dead" midseason finale. But it's hard not to look ahead at what could be the show's most important episode to date.

The All-Out War storyline hasn't produced major casualties this season. But as Rick follows through with his plan to take down the Saviors, things could (and should) get more volatile.

When we last saw Rick, he was being held prisoner at the Junkyard after trying to convince Jadis and the Scavengers to switch sides. Tonight's episode will likely reconcile that situation.

Assuming Rick makes it out of there alive, he'll also have to deal with Daryl and Tara going against his plan. Tonight's episode finds the defiant duo, along with Michonne and Tara, heading destroy the Sanctuary against Rick's wishes.

This episode, titled "Time For After," will be set the table for a potentially deadly midseason finale on Dec. 10. The Kingdom has already suffered a ton of casualties. And while the Hilltop and Safe-Zone groups have been mostly successful, there's a small margin for era.

It's the same story for "The Walking Dead" as a franchise. Much has been written about the drop in ratings this season. It's still the top show on TV in the 18-49 demographic. But the days of 17 million viewers for an episode may be over.

As is the case with any drama series that gets to eight seasons, viewers will drop out at some point. But "The Walking Dead" finds itself at a tipping point over the next two weeks.

The show's Rick vs. Negan storyline hasn't captivated fans as much as the conflicts of previous seasons. But all that can change with the midseason finale. That episode will run a lengthy 88 minutes, which means something big is coming.

The showrunners have been holding a (very) secret weapon that was suggested during the Season 8 premiere. In case you don't remember, we saw Rick in tears, standing over two fresh graves.

The answer to which characters are buried there could be the difference between viewers bailing on the series or spending the holidays eagerly anticipating the show's return.

It feels like a major death is coming, something that could rival Negan killing Glenn and Abraham. After all, it's those types of moments "The Walking Dead" banks on.

No matter how slow the show gets, we still care about the characters. It's the one thing every fan is still holding on to.